NOM's broke... Yes, these Hate-filled folks are out of money and begging for help.

Read their latest email

Dear vik,

I'm writing to ask for your immediate help with an urgent problem — we have been so successful in mobilizing Americans to stand up for marriage and protect the religious liberty rights of Americans who believe as you and I do that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, and now we are dangerously short of funds. Unless we can raise additional resources immediately, we will not be able to continue our advocacy in support of the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), critical legislation to prevent the Obama administration and federal government from targeting pastors, churches, religious groups and small businesses owned by people of faith.

Here's the situation: FADA is must-pass legislation, but Congress has not scheduled it for a vote. We launched our Fax For Fada campaign to mobilize Americans and make sure that the House Republican leadership and members of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, heard from grassroots supporters that they want this legislation passed. And boy, did the grassroots respond! Our team is in the process of delivering over 100,000 faxes to the Republican leadership and OGR members!

You might think that being too successful is a good problem to have, but it creates an immediate and serious shortfall in our budget. The cost of sending over 100,000 faxes to members of Congress is significant and we have exceeded our available funding. That is why I am turning to you with this urgent request for a contribution of $25, $50, $75 or $100 or more. Please be as generous as possible during this critical time.

We have two staff members working round the clock to send all the faxes that must be sent but there are out of pocket costs that must be paid. Your gift of $50 will allow us to send 500 faxes. A contribution of $100 will cover the cost of 1,000 faxes. Please make an emergency contribution today so that we do not have to put this incredibly important effort on hold just when we need to be maximizing pressure on Congress to act.

Lead by Rep. Steve Russell, the House GOP are trying to sneak in an amendment in the major defense spending bill that could unravel President Obama’s anti-LGBT workplace discrimination executive order.

The Washington Blade reports

The amendment, introduced by freshman Rep. Steve Russell (R-Okla.),would require the federal government when contracting with religious organizations to afford them exemptions consistent with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the American with Disabilities Act. Since neither of those laws prohibit anti-LGBT bias, the amendment would enable religious organizations doing business with the U.S. government to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Because the measure would have the force of law, it would overrule the executive order signed by President Obama in 2014 prohibiting contractors doing more than $10,000 a year in business with the U.S. government from engaging in anti-LGBT discrimination against employees. The president included no religious exemption in his order, although he left in place a Bush-era exemption allowing religious organizations contracting with the U.S. government to favor co-religionists in hiring practices.

The amendment provides an exemption for “any religious corporation, religious association, religious educational institution or religious society” contracting with the U.S. government. All of those terms are undefined in the amendment, but the lack of definition for “religious corporation” could allow courts to construe the term broadly to any federal contractor — not just religious organizations — in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in the Hobby Lobby case.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today signed a bill allowing medical professionals to refuse mental health services to LGBT patients. This follows weeks of outreach and statements urging him to veto by GLAAD, LGBT organizations, business leaders, and leaders of the country music industry.

“Denying anyone vital mental health services simply because they’re LGBT isn’t just outrageous, it’s outright dangerous,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “What’s clear, however, is that legislative attacks that target LGBT people are bad for business. Sadly, the bedrock of Tennessee’s economy – the record companies of Nashville – remained silent throughout the fight to pass this discriminatory law. It's time that they join the growing chorus of Americans demanding an end to discrimination.”

GLAAD was in Nashville earlier this month with the Tennessee Equality Project, actor and musician Chris Carmack, singer-songwriter and producer Desmond Child, and Tennessee-based LGBT advocates to urge the governor to veto both the counseling bill, as well as an anti-transgender bill that was ultimately defeated in the legislature.

In addition, music industry leaders Ty Herndon, Miley Cyrus, ASCAP President Paul Williams, BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) and performing rights company SESAC all spoke out against the bills.

After losing big to Hillary, Bernie finally sees the writing on the wall. Word is, he's planning to lay off hundreds of campaign staffers across the country and focus much of his remaining effort on winning California.

However, it was revealed that if Hillary lost every state left, she will still get the nomination.

Bernie said he would remain in the race through the party’s summer convention and possibly bring staff members back on board if things got better.

“We want to win as many delegates as we can, so we do not need workers now in states around country. We don’t need people right now in Connecticut. That election is over. We don’t need them in Maryland. So what we are going to do is allocate our resources to the 14 contests that remain, and that means that we are going to be cutting back on staff.”

When asked how many people would be let go, Mr. Sanders didn’t give an exact number but did say many people would be affected.

“It will be hundreds of staff members,” Mr. Sanders said. “We have had a very large staff, which was designed to deal with 50 states in this country; 40 of the states are now behind us. So we have had a great staff, great people.”

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Senator Ted Cruz will announce that Carly Fiorina will be his running mate if he wins the GOP nomination. This look like a desperate act of both parts, but hey, it's desperate times for the Republicans.

Hillary won Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland last night. Again, she took the minority vote but she also gained more women voters.

Bernie continues to get the white male voters, but it's not enough to break her stride. After tonight, Hillary could lose the rest of the primaries and still get the nomination. I think this is over folks.

The American Family Association decided to attack Target over their bathroom policy last week. Target took a supportive stance for transgender rights by allowing anyone to use the bathroom that represents their gender identity. Well, the haters couldn't sit still on this one, so they created a petition to boycott Target.

So far, this boycott/petition has more than 517,000 signatures. AFA is proud of this, hoping Target will change their minds. However, Target is standing firm with their policy.

"We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions," says Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. "As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work — and our guests an inclusive place to shop — we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target."

She added that hundreds of Target stores "have single-stall, family restrooms for those who may be more comfortable with that option."

Target made its position public in a blog post last week, stating that the company welcomes "transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity." The announcement comes as legislation on transgender issues in multiple states has spurred several major corporations and businesses to take a stance on LGBT rights.

So in all, Target has no f**ks to give over a list of silly bigots and their woes.

Monday, April 25, 2016

LGBT magazine editor Xulhaz Mannan was murdered by 4 hooded men. They... they hacked him up with a machete in Dhaka and then shot him death. Reports say Mannan's murder fits the pattern of other killings on secular activists by radical Islamist groups.

Here's more

Xulhaz Mannan was one of two people hacked to death in an attack in the capital, Dhaka, police said.

Mohammad Iqbal, the officer in charge of the local police station, confirmed to the Guardian that about six people entered the house in the Kalabagan district and hacked Mannan and his friend to death. Two other people were seriously injured.

Mannan, 35, was the editor of Roopbaan, the country’s only magazine for the LGBT community and who also worked at the US development agency USAID. A security guard of the house told the Dhaka Tribune that five to six youths identifying themselves as courier company officials came to the house around 5pm.

He said: “But half an hour later, I heard shouting and shooting sound from the flat and went to look into the incident.”

“The assailants then attacked me with knives,” said the security guard.

Marcia Bernicat, the United States ambassador to Bangladesh, condemned the killing. “I am devastated by the brutal murder of Xulhaz Mannan and another young Bangladeshi,” she said.“We abhor this senseless act of violence and urge the government of Bangladesh in the strongest terms to apprehend the criminals behind these murders,” she added.

Mannan had been behind an annual Rainbow Rally, which since 2014 has been held on 14 April Bengali New Year.

Bloggers are posting the livestream of the HB2 Protest in North Carolina.

LiveStream reports

The North Carolina NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement are joined by organizations and people from all over the state to protest HB2, the hateful bill that was hastily passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and quickly signed into law by a Governor who later admitted that the bill - targeted at North Carolinas transgender community while also stripping North Carolina workers of their rights as employees - "has problems". There will be multiple streams throughout the day so make sure you click FOLLOW on the Fusion Films LiveStream page to receive email updates every time a stream goes live

Beyonce released Lemonade this weekend and I have to say it's a great piece of work.

These song are so good, not average and trivial. Beyonce secretly worked with some of the hottest writers and producers to create her latest project.

The album caused a stir due to divorce rumors from Jay Z, but it was far from the truth. This album seems to be a love letter to Black women. The videos are so powerful and beautiful. It was an experience to watch the HBO special. I was so excited to listen the album.

Beyonce really set a new standard in the music biz. She ain't playing anymore.

“Once you’ve highlighted an issue and brought it to people’s attention and shined a spotlight, and elected officials or people who are in a position to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you, then you can’t just keep on yelling at them. And you can’t refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position. The value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table, get you in the room, and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved. You then have a responsibility to prepare an agenda that is achievable, that can institutionalize the changes you seek, and to engage the other side, and occasionally to take half a loaf that will advance the gains that you seek, understanding that there’s going to be more work to do, but this is what is achievable at this moment.”

Friday, April 22, 2016

President Obama touched on the Anti-LGBT laws in Mississippi and North Carolina in a press conference with UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

President Obama said:

"I think that the laws that have been passed there are wrong and should be overturned and they're in response to politics in part and some strong emotions that are generated by people. The U.S. is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country," the warning reads. "LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi."

Watch

Pres. Obama says he thinks 'anti-LGBT' laws passed in NC and MS "are wrong and should be overturned." https://t.co/zOGCqrq8nJ

Curt Schilling is... well, was a baseball analysts on ESPN. He's also known for his racist and transphobic rants on social media.

On Facebook, he posted this

He also said:

“A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.”

Anywho, folks dragged his ass on social media and ESPN responded with this statement:

“ESPN is an inclusive company,” ESPN said in a statement. “Curt Schilling has been advised that his conduct was unacceptable and his employment with ESPN has been terminated.”

So, the jerk go fired and he's all hurt about it. Maybe next time he will keep is bigoted mouth shut.

This August guests at Walt Disney World Resort and will be able to see Princess Elena, Disney’s first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures.

La princesa Elena will debut in the Disney Channel series “Elena of Avalor” this summer. A teenager in fairytale kingdom, Elena adds a new dimension to the Disney-princess world.

Elena will appear this summer in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort.

I know that you are eager to know more about Elena … I know I am! But until we meet her, know that she is a bold, aventurera princess, whose love for her kingdom of Avalor, and most importantly, her familia, fuels her magical adventures.

TMZ Sports has learned she was in a home in Redondo Beach, CA ... south of L.A. -- and police got the call around 7:30 PM. Officers are on scene right now. We're told they are investigating as a possible overdose ... due mainly to her history with drugs.

IT IS WITH DEEP SADNESS TO INFORM YOU TODAY THAT WE LOST A TRUE ICON, A REAL LIFE SUPERHERO. JOANIE LAURER AKA CHYNA, THE 9TH WONDER OF THE WORLD HAS PASSED AWAY. SHE WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE MEMORIES OF HER MILLIONS OF FANS AND ALL OF US THAT LOVED HER.

“Our plan is to win the pledged delegates in this primary. Next week five states vote, and there are A LOT of delegates up for grabs. I am going to keep fighting for every vote, for every delegate, because each is a statement of support for the values we share.”

Director Antoine Fuqua brings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’ The Magnificent Seven. With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

She won with 200,000+ ahead of Sanders and way more than Trump. Sanders supporters are claiming that they experienced voter suppression. The real issue is they didn't switch over from Independent to Democrat. They were told to do so over a year ago, but they didn't follow through.

Oh well.

Also, it was shown that Bernie did well with White men. That's his voting block, however it's not good enough.

Hillary won White women and people of color, key to winning the presidency/

“There is a bit of over focusing on my sexuality, both by the straight press and the gay press, and so the first question is why do they care? Well, because I’m a celebrity, so I guess they care who I’m having sex with. But if your definition of gay and straight is who I sleep with, then I guess you could say I’m a gay cock tease. It’s where my allegiance lies, where my sensibilities lie, how I define myself. Yeah, I’m a little gay, and there’s a gay James.”

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Transform California, is a join venture from Transgender Law Center and Equality California who are working hard to make Trans/non-gender conforming people feel safe and live free from discrimination.

Here's a bit more info

The statewide launch celebration in Los Angeles was held on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall and attended by more than 50 coalition members, including Pat Manuel, a transgender Californian, amateur boxer and small business owner; Maria Roman, a transgender Californian and community activist; Rabbi Becky Silverstein, one of the first openly transgender Rabbis affiliated with the conservative movement; Gary Toebben, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; Isa Noyola, Transgender Law Center Program Director; Kris Hayashi, Transgender Law Center Executive Director; and Rick Zbur, Equality California Executive Director.

Following the Los Angeles launch, Transform California will host regional rallies throughout the state, which will be attended by organizations and individuals from vastly different landscapes, including civil rights organizations, business leaders, and local and state elected officials, among many others. While varied in background, the mission of every Transform California coalition member is the same: promote respect, understanding and safety for the transgender community, and oppose discrimination of all kinds.

Premise:
In 1990, seven young male dancers - 6 gay, 1 straight - joined Madonna on her most controversial tour. On stage and in the iconic film Truth or Dare they showed the world how to express yourself. Now, 25 years later, they reveal the truth about life during and after the tour. Strike a Pose is a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are.

In Austin, Texas, a Whole Foods is being sued for an insensitive slur on a Birthday cake.

Pastor Jordan Brown said that he ordered a cake from Whole Foods with the message “Love Wins”. When he got the cake it said, "Love Wins, Fag".

Pastor Brown, who's openly gay, was stunned. He and his lawyer contacted Whole Foods about the cake. However, the store said there was no proof that someone from their store would do something like that. Later, Pastor Brown reached out to Whole Foods’ corporate office, but didn't hear from them for three days.

"The team member wrote “Love Wins” at the top of the cake as requested by the guest and that’s exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store. Our team members do not accept or design bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive. Whole Foods Market has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination."

“There’s a universal human desire for friendship, for companionship. We all have a need for relationships that matter. So when Thanksgiving comes around, when Christmas comes around, are you inviting a same-sex attracted colleague or friend or member of your church who isn’t married and doesn’t have a family of his or her own, are you inviting them into your family to share Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner? Are you having them be big brother or big sister, godfather or godmother to your children if they’re not going to be married and have children of their own? Are there ways in which we can show that there are other forms of community that matter, that are important, that are meaningful, without having to redefine marriage?”

Sorry for no post yesterday, I was traveling for work. For those who don't know, I work for university, doing several things like, recruiting students. Yesterday, I visited a school and I noticed a few things that bothered me.

The military was there to recruit, like they always have throughout the years. But I noticed a lot of students of color were crowded around their tables. BTW the marine recruiter was very hot. Anyway, it really bothered me to see the students of color only going to their tables. Mostly all of the white students came to the college tables, but the minority students did not.

After a while, I got up and start talking to the students about why they were stoked about the military. They told me that they could make a lot of money and take care of their families In fact, most of the military recruiters talked about money most of the time. It was like they were recruiting them to make money and live a fabulous life, however they didn't talk about possibly being in a war, or dying. I know that's extreme, but it was just weird to see them hovering at their table like they were receiving a free Apple iTunes card.

I spent most of my time convincing the students that there are other ways to be successful. Military is one choice, and college is another. Student laugh about college being a good choice. They told me it was basically ridiculous to go broke for education. And I understand that, but to jump into the military should not be the only choice.

I felt like I needed to put hope in these students. I felt like I needed to convince them that there are other ways to make it in this world. I just felt so disheartened by what I was seeing. However, it reminded me that I have this position for reason. If I can help a student of color see the possibilities, then I'm doing something good. So, here's to me trying to change the world.

On April 19, New York Democrats will have unusual say over the party’s nominee. They have in Clinton a superprepared warrior realist. They have in opponent Bernie Sanders a fantasist who’s at passionate war with reality. By choosing Clinton, Empire State Dems would powerfully signal that the party has gotten real about achieving long-sought goals.

Clinton is unsparingly clear-eyed about what’s wrong with America while holding firm to what’s right with America.

She fully understands the toll that adverse economic forces have taken on the country.

She is supremely knowledgeable about the powers a President can wield to lift fortunes in need of lifting.

She possesses the strength and the shrewdness to confront the tough politics of advancing an ambitious Democratic agenda in the White House.

Still more, she is a cauldron-tested globalist who had the spine to give Obama a thumb’s up for taking out Osama Bin Laden and who is far the wiser about the use of American power, having served as secretary of state and seen the consequences of the war in Iraq.

Well, this is a question that individual agencies have been considering after previous states have passed these bills into law. I don’t know what mechanism is in place for individual agencies to consider those kinds of questions in advance of a law being passed, but you can check with the Department of Education for greater clarity on that.

What I can tell you is that the administration is firmly committed to promoting and defending equal rights of all Americans, including LGBT Americans. And specific laws like this that seek to target and marginalize one small segment of the population is nothing less than mean-spirited. That was true when they passed similar provisions in places like North Carolina and Mississippi, and it’s true even as it’s being considered in a place like Tennessee.

What’s also true in Tennessee is that that state has thrived economically in part because of their ability to make their case to businesses across the country that they’ve got a great climate for doing business. Passing mean-spirited bills through the state legislature is not a good endorsement of your business climate. And ultimately, individual businesses will have to make their own decisions about this.

I think what is also true is that states like Tennessee and, to a certain extent, North Carolina and Mississippi, have a long history even over the last couple of generations of working through questions of civil rights. And President Obama has talked on a number of occasions about the important progress that our country has made with regard to civil rights. This is a good illustration that the fight for civil rights is not over, and demanding equality for every American and ensuring that those Americans are not singled out or targeted because of their sex or their race or what their last name or their religion, or who they love or who they are is a struggle that continues. And the President, every time, is going to be on the side of equality and fairness and justice for every American.

“The idea that we’re just gonna sue one another for all these things and cause this problem. Things were going along quite well after the Supreme Court decision, so people were using this to some degree as a wedge issue. When you get in the middle of [the religious liberty issue] there’s no easy answer. So you know what I think? Let it go. Respect people that they are different than we are because that’s just the way it is. And to get in this business of that I’m not gonna serve you because you’re a certain way. Come on folks! We have to live together. What do we want, more laws? How about a little more tolerance, a little more respect.”

Kristen Waggoner, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom was also there, defending Hate as usual, but John said this little nugget of wisdom that brought everything to perspective:

“The idea that this is about safety and security, it’s kind of like when somebody says that they ate all the ice cream in order to make room in the freezer. I mean it’s just obvious that that’s not the real reason. This is about discrimination, particularly against transgender people. And one of the reasons that’s really sad is that our nation’s history of protecting religious liberty has traditionally been about protecting marginalized groups, protecting people of minority faiths against the majority who try to marginalize them. Instead, we have a perversion of the notion of religious liberty to further marginalize people who are already vulnerable. There are absolutely no cases of transgender people trying to use these laws in order to commit assault or to threaten people’s safety in bathrooms. Whereas there are many cases of transgender people suffering bullying and assault and violence because they can’t have a safe and comfortable bathroom to use.”

The HB 2 drama is causing a huge stir. More companies are boycotting the state and celebs are donating funds to help equality groups in North Carolina.

One of the big calls of activism is coming from the NAACP.

NAACP president William Barber is planning a sit-in says at the state legislature on April 21st. The goal is to stay there until the law is repealed.

Barber said:

“We cannot be silent in the face of this race-based, class-based, homophobic and transphobic attack on wage earners, civil rights, and the LGBTQ community,” Barber said in a news release. “Together with our many allies, we will coordinate a campaign of nonviolent direct action along with other forms of nonviolent protest that will instruct our legislators with respect to the rights of all people.”

“I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from there next year. As a black person, I’m against any form of discrimination against whites, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, however you want to phrase it. It’s my job, with the position of power that I’m in and being able to be on television, I’m supposed to stand up for the people who can’t stand up for themselves. So, I think the NBA should move the All-Star game from Charlotte…I know Atlanta wants to host it, but they should move it out of Charlotte.”

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Lawmakers in Tennessee just passed a bill that would allow mental health professionals to refuse service to anyone that troubles their religious beliefs Basically, another hate/Anti-LGBT bill. HB 1840 passed the House with a vote of 68-22, then in the Senate with 27-5.

What SB 1556/HB 1840 would do: This bill would allow counselors and therapists to discriminate against clients based on the counselor’s own religious beliefs. By allowing discrimination against clients, this bill defies professional standards and could cause significant harm to vulnerable people who are seeking help.

If this bill becomes law, counselors could refuse to see clients for almost unlimited reasons. For instance, a counselor could refuse to see a lesbian simply because of her sexual orientation, or to see a couple involved in an interfaith relationship. A counselor who is an atheist could refuse to see a Catholic client—and the list goes on.

For people seeking counseling because they are faced with a critical dilemma in their lives and need objective guidance, allowing mental health professionals to discriminate could cause grave damage. Many who need care already face significant barriers, including trauma, marginalization, and a historic distrust of mental health providers. For some—like a woman who wants to escape her abusive spouse or a gay teen being bullied, for example—this bill could affect their very survival.

Turning away clients because of personal religious beliefs creates unethical barriers to access to care. Some places—such as schools—only have one counselor. If a school counselor refused care to a student, that child would have no other option to get the care he or she needed. Tennessee also has many rural communities that have few providers. If there is not another counselor nearby, it may be challenging or impossible for a client to get the child care, transportation and time off required to travel for treatment. Additionally, there may not be another provider within a reasonable distance that accepts a client’s insurance.

“This new law gives fresh momentum to efforts on the federal and state level to stop government discrimination against people who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. We applaud Governor Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, and House Speaker Philip Gunn, for standing up for the fundamental freedoms of the people they represent. No person should be punished by the government with crippling fines, or face disqualification for simply believing what President Obama believed just a few years ago, that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

“Big business and Hollywood have engaged in economic blackmail in Mississippi just like they have in Indiana, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas to try to force government discrimination of those who support natural marriage. However, unlike Indiana and Georgia, leaders in Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas have chosen to defend the fundamental freedom of their citizens to believe and live according to those beliefs, rather than capitulate to the economic threats of big business and entertainment.

“Long-term, political leaders who refuse to sacrifice fundamental freedoms under the threats of big government, big business and big entertainment are rewarded with support of voters as their states find such policies promote stronger families, stronger communities, which lead to stronger economies.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Two weeks ago, PayPal announced plans to open a new global operations center in Charlotte and employ over 400 people in skilled jobs. In the short time since then, legislation has been abruptly enacted by the State of North Carolina that invalidates protections of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens and denies these members of our community equal rights under the law.

The new law perpetuates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPal’s mission and culture. As a result, PayPal will not move forward with our planned expansion into Charlotte.

This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect. These principles of fairness, inclusion and equality are at the heart of everything we seek to achieve and stand for as a company. And they compel us to take action to oppose discrimination.

Our decision is a clear and unambiguous one. But we do regret that we will not have the opportunity to be a part of the Charlotte community and to count as colleagues the skilled and talented people of the region. As a company that is committed to the principle that everyone deserves to live without fear of discrimination simply for being who they are, becoming an employer in North Carolina, where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law, is simply untenable.

While we will seek an alternative location for our operations center, we remain committed to working with the LGBT community in North Carolina to overturn this discriminatory legislation, alongside all those who are committed to equality.

We will stand firm in our commitment to equality and inclusion and our conviction that we can make a difference by living and acting on our values. It’s the right thing to do for our employees, our customers, and our communities.
Dan Schulman, President and CEO, PayPal

SCOTUS came through this morning. A couple of folks from Texas tried to create legislative boundaries around specific districts in order stop the power of the Latino vote. SCOTUS basically shot that shit down.

Here's more

Two residents of Texas urged the court to rule that in drawing legislative boundaries to create districts with roughly equal populations, states should count the voting population, not the total population.

Using the total population figures, the challengers said, dilutes the voting power of residents in districts with large numbers of people who are not eligible to vote, violating the one-person, one-vote requirement.

But not a single justice ruled for the challengers.

“Adopting voter-eligible apportionment as constitutional command would upset a well-functioning approach to districting that all 50 states and countless local jurisdictions have followed for decades, even centuries,” wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the court.”

Relying instead on voting population could result in fewer districts in areas that elect Hispanic representatives. Opponents of the idea said it would shift political power away from urban areas with large minority populations, which tend to vote for Democrats, and toward rural areas, where Republicans do better at the polls.

Since the ‪#‎GayMediaSoWhite‬ took off, it's been amazing to see how many people got involved. And it was disheartening to the see how many people didn't say anything.

There were some folks who said we were complaining and whining, while no providing any solutions to combat this issue. I'm sorry to disappoint, but we were not complaining, we were demanding answers. All of these sites, blogs, publications and social media outlets should have an answer to as why their work does not reflect the true diversity of the LGBTQ community.

We have a right to know the truth, and regardless of the answers, we would love to hear them. The silence from these gatekeepers have been very telling. You know the lack of POC images/stories is a problem.

You can't sit up here, as a member of our community and talk about embracing our differences, when you refuse to celebrate our diversity? It's high time we called this out.

It's time for you: writers, editors gatekeepers and bloggers to step up and start doing better. You can change this, so do it!

“My sister likes to joke, you can’t write this shit.’ Where do we find the courage to break free of the boxes of our lives, to transcend an overcome tragedy? The monsters within and the violence we do to ourselves when we are too afraid to be who we really are. And while the ideas of identity and transformation are components of our work, the bedrock that all ideas rest upon is love. Love is a crucial thing for transgender people, it’s a tether.”

The Stuff

Viktor is a small town southern boy living in Los Angeles. You can find him on Twitter, writing about pop culture, politics, and comics. He’s the creator of the graphic novel StrangeLore and currently getting back into screenwriting.